Congress Justifies Decision to Skip UP Bypolls, Supports SP

The Congress has decided to back the Samajwadi Party and Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) candidates in all the nine Assembly segments of Uttar Pradesh (UP) going for by-elections on November 13.

Congress General Secretary in charge of UP Avinash Pande and the UP Congress Chief Ajay Rai said that it was a well-thought decision of the party to ensure the defeat of the BJP-led NDA candidates in UP. They stated that with the way BJP is practising polarising politics in the country and threatening the Constitution and the secular fabric, it was important that the BJP gets defeated.

Pande revealed that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, after discussing, were all unanimous that party should field no candidate from any of the nine constituencies and support the INDIA bloc candidates everywhere.

The UP in-charge, Avinash Pande, was of the opinion that all the workers of Congress will be actively involved in the campaigning so that SP and INDIA bloc candidates defeat the BJP in all the nine Assembly segments. Both Pande and Rai clarified that the Congress support to the candidates of the INDIA Bloc was in national interest and to save and protect the Constitution and the secular fabric of the country.

Earlier, SP President Akhilesh Yadav had said that candidates from the INDIA bloc would contest all nine Assembly seats in the bypolls, scheduled to take place soon in the state, on the election symbol of his party, 'cycle'. He claimed that victory pursuit rather than seat-sharing calculations guided the decision of the opposition bloc.

"Congress and the Samajwadi Party are united and stand shoulder to shoulder for a big victory. The INDIA bloc is going to write a new chapter of victory in this by-election," Yadav said in a post on X. "With this unprecedented cooperation and support, every worker of 'INDIA bloc' on all nine Assembly seats is filled with new energy with the resolve to win," he added.

"It is not about seats but about winning. Under this strategy, the joint candidates of the INDIA bloc will contest all the nine seats on the Samajwadi Party's election symbol 'cycle'. Yadav emphasized, "Congress and Samajwadi Party are united and standing shoulder to shoulder for a big victory. INDIA bloc is going to write a new chapter of victory in the Uttar Pradesh by-election," the SP President wrote on X.

He said with the support of Congress party's top leadership and booth-level workers, the strength of Samajwadi Party has increased manifold. With this unprecedented cooperation and support, every worker of the INDIA bloc in all the 9 Assembly seats has been filled with new energy with the resolve to win, he said. He added, this is an election to save the country's constitution, harmony and honour of the PDA. That is why our appeal to everyone is: not even a single vote should be reduced, not even a single vote should be divided." Yadav wrote further on X.

This unity and solidarity of the INDIA bloc filled with harmony in the interest of the country will write new history today and tomorrow as well, he added. Talking about the Uttar Pradesh by-elections, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister claimed the poll will be fought in the cause of the country's Constitution, peace and the honour of "Pichchde (backwards), Dalit and Alpsankhyak (Minorities)".

Bypolls in Uttar Pradesh will take place on nine constituencies on November 13: Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar), Karhal (Mainpuri), Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar), Ghaziabad, Majhawan (Mirzapur), Sishamau (Kanpur city), Khair (Aligarh), Phulpur (Prayagraj) and Kundarki (Moradabad). In the Lok Sabha elections, eight of these state assembly seats fell vacant as their respective MLAs got elected as Members of Parliament. A bypoll was also held on Sisamau MLA seat after the disqualification of SP MLA Irfan Solanki, who was convicted in a criminal case.

The Election Commission has issued a notification for the nine seats of by-election, excluding Milkipur (Ayodhya). Counting will take place on November 23. The SP has already announced candidates in Karhal, Sisamau, Phulpur, Milkipur, Katehari, Majahawan, and Meerapur.